My box from Knoshy actually arrived a few days ago. This month’s theme is “Movie Night” and while I love the theme … some of the items in the box are curious choices for the theme. I can see the connection with two of the items … the other two have left me wondering!

The first item that makes sense to me: Parmesan & Rosemary flavored Microwave Popcorn from Quinn Popcorn. I mean, who doesn’t want popcorn when watching a movie? I’ve tried the Vermont Maple & Sea Salt Popcorn from this company, so I was really excited to try this flavor.

The second item that makes sense: Pop Corn Pop chocolate bar from Chuao Chocolate. Again … popcorn! And of course, a candy bar is always a welcome treat at the movies! I’ve tried at least one or two flavors from Chuao Chocolatier, and they are the producers of one of my very favorite chocolate bars (the firecracker bar!) so I’m thrilled to be able to try something else from them.

The next item in the box is a Basket o’ Marionberries from Willamette Valley Confectionery. Now, don’t get me wrong – I LOVE these things. I’ve tried them before, and I was thrilled to find them in my box this month, but, what do they have to do with Movie Night? I guess candy is something yummy to eat at the movies? I don’t really get a clear connection, but I’m happy to be have these yummy confections again, so I’m not complaining.

The last item in this month’s box is a “footlong” marshmallow from Quin Candy. The flavor of the marshmallow is Water Avenue Coffee – meh. OK. I’m not a fan of coffee, and I don’t get how a coffee flavored marshmallow has any connection with Movie Night at all. After perusing the Quin Candy website (I love that this company is LOCAL!) I found a couple of candies that would be more in keeping with the Movie Night Theme, like perhaps Cherry Cola Gumdrops (soft drink at the movies? Yes! Coffee at the movies? No!) or how about Popcorn Caramels? (Yeah, it would be probably really beating the popcorn thing into the ground.)

Oh well, I like hand crafted marshmallows, so I’ll give ’em a try. A coffee flavored marshmallow should be tasty in a hot chocolate, right? And I’m really excited about the other products in this month’s box!

A long time French favorite, the pâte de fruit is a little jewel-like confection bursting with fruit. The deep dark purple color comes from the local marionberry, a sweeter, juicier version of the common blackberry.

I enjoyed these yummy confections over the course of a couple of days, and tried them with different teas over these samplings. Two different teas stood out as an outstanding pairing. First, I recommend this Organic Gurance from Butiki Teas. These fruity candies gave an interesting dimension to the malty tones of the tea and really accented the fruit notes of the tea as well. The second tea I’d recommend is this delicious Sweet Roast Green Tea from Mauna Kea Tea. The toasty notes of the tea added an interesting contrast to the sweetness of the confection.

What I Think:

If you have a sweet tooth, you may want to read more about this product. If you don’t really care for the sweet stuff, this may not be the treat for you.

That is my way of stating up front that these are incredibly sweet. Almost too sweet. They are covered in sugar, and with my first bite, it almost felt like I was biting into a sugar cube.

But, that’s not to say that I dislike these, because I do like them. But they are really sweet, and I can’t eat more than two or three at any one time. After that, I can begin to really feel the sugar on my teeth.

All that being said … these are also an incredible tribute to the Marionberry. Inside the coating of sugar lies a gelled mash-up of Marionberries, and that part of these confections tastes just like the berry. If the sugar were somehow removed from the confection, you’d have a pure Marionberry flavor. I even came across a seed or two, and even though I’m not particularly fond of berry seeds because they tend to get stuck between my teeth, I didn’t find these to be bothersome, and seemed to lend some authenticity to the candy. That is to say, it allowed me to somehow justify eating these sweet treats, because at least part of this was fruit-like.

My Final Thoughts:

Even though they are very sugary, I find these to be enjoyable in small amounts. My interest is piqued at some of the other varieties of pâte de fruit that Willamette Valley Confectionery offers. Right now, it appears that they have a “City of Roses” basket of fruit, which is rose infused pear pâte de fruit. Sounds yummy!

I received my shipping notification yesterday afternoon, so imagine my surprise when the shipping notification indicated that the package was actually out for delivery! Yay! I ended up getting this package much earlier than I expected because I hadn’t gotten my notification … it might be nice if Foodzie delayed the notifications like this in the future, that way I’m not constantly and impatiently checking the tracking to see when it will arrive!

The three box themes that we could select from this month were: Portland Box, Spring Brunch Box, and Some Like it Hot Box. I was really tempted by the Some Like it Hot Box (I LOVE spicy food!), and I would have selected it if not for the Portland Box. I mean, come on! I’m Hungry in Portland! You know I’ve got to choose the box that represents my beloved city!

OK, yeah, so I actually live in Vancouver, but Portland is right over there. Like, a five minute drive. And usually when I go out to eat, it’s in Portland, and really, I doubt Foodzie will ever have a Vancouver, Washington box … because typically when someone mentions “Vancouver” … people think Canada, not Washington state.

So let’s talk a bit about the Portland Box. Here’s what Emily and Rob at Foodzie had to say about their inspiration behind the box:

People often make the joke that Portland is the place where young people go to retire. But if retirement tastes like this, we’re all for it. For a mid-sized city, Portland’s food scene is packed with food trucks, farm-to-table cuisine, and talented artisan foodmakers. We rounded up some of our favorites that show off the Pacific Northwest’s finest flavors. Get ready to taste locally grown hazelnuts, roasted with just a touch of salt. You’ll also taste the sweet, earthy flavor of the native marionberry, the “cabernet of blackberries,” packed inside tender pâte de fruit. And you’re in for a treat with Good Food Award-winning, local charcuterie. No travel required for this tasting trip to Portlandia, dig in and enjoy. ~Rob & Emily

And you know what? Surprisingly enough, even though I live there (or very close to “there”), these are all foods I’ve not yet tried! Inside this month’s box, I received a bottle of Raspberry Soda from Hotlips Soda, a package of Roasted Hazelnuts from Freddy Guys, a Chocolate Coconut Cookie from Sunna’s Cookies, Cacciatore salami from Olympic Provisions, and Marionberry Pâte de Fruit from Willamette Valley Confectionery that’s been packaged in a cute produce basket.